//------------------------------// // The Showdown // Story: For the Ones we Love // by FlimFlamBros. //------------------------------// "What is darkness? I'll tell you. It is the only absolute in any existence. It is the beginning of all, and the end of all. The world comes forth from darkness, until the darkness reclaims it, and it ceases to exist once again. Life, of all kinds, is the same. We are conceived, and live in darkness. When we are born, we cry, for the light has frightened us, as it is an unnatural thing that we have never known. Light is artificial; fake. So why do we cling to it so, when in the end it brings nothing but the pain of having lost it? ~DragonOverlord2012 Spike watched in absolute horror as Rarity’s body fell to the ground, landing with a hollow thud. “YOU SON OF A BITCH I’LL KILL YOU!!!!” roared Spike, as he dashed towards the alicorn and tackled him to the ground. “YOU KILLED HER!! YOU KILLED HER, YOU SON OF A BITCH YOU GOD DAMN MONSTER!!” Spike extended his claws towards Conquest’s neck, the dragon’s teeth bared as he desperately tried to rip the throat out of his love’s killer. The laughing alicorn pressed back against the palms of the dragon with his hooves. “What’s the matter Spike? Did I do something wrong?” he laughed. “I’M GOING TO RIP YOUR THROAT OUT!!” “Why are you yelling so loud?” asked Conquest, still fending off Spike’s attack. “I’m right here, mere inches from your face, are you trying to make me deaf?” “I’M TRYING TO MAKE YOU DIE!!” the dragon screeched, pressing harder to break through the alicorn’s guard. He eventually did, and he grasped Conquest’s neck with both claws, trying to squeeze every drop of his evil being out of him. “A little help,” choked the dark pony in an odd sense of desperation. Spike felt a tug on the back of his neck as he was flung off of Conquest and onto the floor. The dragon groggily looked up at who had thrown him off the insane pony. “Rarity?” The white mare was standing back up, but it wasn’t the mare that he had fallen in love with. Her neck that had been snapped like a twig was still broken, her head had almost snapped right off, only hanging on by a couple of wooden splinters. “You’re nothing more than a puppet!” yelled Spike as he got up. “You tricked me! That wasn’t Rarity!” “No shit, Sherlock,” laughed Conquest. “Where’s the real Rarity?!” demanded the dragon. “Tell me now!” “She’s been here the whole time!” giggled the alicorn. “Right under your nose really.” “I am sick and tired of these riddles, Conquest!” roared Spike. “Tell me where the real Rarity is! NOW!” “Very well,” sighed Conquest, as he took a long yawn. “I’ll show you were the real Rarity is.” He continued to yawn, his mouth stretching out wider and wider. Conquest’s jaw disconnected, stretching out like taffy, until his mouth was twice its usual size. Then a white, slimed covered thing started to force its way past Conquest’s teeth. Dragging against the roof of his mouth was a mane of terribly messy purple hair, and a small horn. Her front hooves popped out and hung down from his lips. “Spike… Is that you?” Rarity groaned. “Rarity!” gasped Spike, turning to Conquest. “You ate her?!” “Hey, better she gets inside me,” he gargled, still managing to talk clearly with a mare’s head in between his teeth, “than me get inside her. If you know what I mean, dragon!” He raised an eyebrow as he started to laugh hysterically. “Spit her out!” shouted Spike. “If you want her back so badly,” Conquest started to swallow, “come and get her.” “SPIKE!” screamed the white mare as Conquest’s shadowy tongue wrapped around her neck and started to pull her back in. “HELP ME!!!” “Rarity!” called Spike, but it was too late. His love disappeared behind the black lips of the insane pony. “I’m going to get you out of there!” He turned to Conquest. “I swear to Celestia that I will reach down your disgusting throat and pull her out if I have to!” “Like I said…” snickered Conquest, turning his back to the dragon, “you want her back so bad, come and get her!” He bent down and wiggled his flank in the air. “I would hurry though, lest she comes out the other end!!” Spike didn’t say anything. He sneered at his adversary as he rushed towards the alicorn, readying all his claws as he prepared to strike down the pony. SLAM!! The dragon’s head was struck by the blunt side of the scythe that the puppet Rarity had wielded. “Did you forget about me?” the nearly headless mare cackled, her face hanging by a few strands of wood and swaying around her neck. She had a smile just like Conquest’s. “I thought you’d love me forever!” she yelled, taking another swing at the drake. “You’re not Rarity!” he cried, catching the scythe mid-swing. “And you never will be!” He used his free hand and smashed the head of the puppet Rarity, knocking it clear off its neck. “No more tricks, no more guards, no more distractions!” yelled Spike as he charged at Conquest. “You’re mine!” “But dragon,” smiled the alicorn. “Where’s the fun in that?” he asked, disappearing in a puff of smoke just as Spike’s claws were inches from his throat. He reappeared, slouching on Spike’s shoulder. “You must know that that isn’t going to work on me.” Spike took another swing at him, and again, Conquest vanished into a puff of smoke, this time reappearing on the other side of the room. “I’m over here. Why don’t you come and join me?” “Stop teleporting!” roared Spike as he filled his mouth with green fire, releasing the flames in Conquest’s direction. “That won’t work,” laughed the mad pony, as he willingly let the flames coat his body. “This must be the seventh time you’ve tried to set me of fi—’’ POW!! “Wasn’t trying to burn you,” smirked Spike as his fist connected with the jaw of the pony, the satisfying crunch of the alicorn’s teeth music to his ears. “You hit me!” cried the alicorn, scurrying away as he left behind a trail of dark tears. “Why would you do that? I have done nothing to deserve such treatment!” he sobbed, streams of water pouring down his face. “All I’ve ever done is betray my sisters, kill literally thousands of ponies and twice as many squirrels, start a war for no other reason than I wanted to see things die, torture Pinkie Pie, cut up Applejack, snap Rainbow’s wings, make Fluttershy cry three times, break Twilight’s horn off, eat your marefriend, and spend the last month annoying the crap out of you,” he whimpered, his crying slowly becoming slight chuckling, then to a full on laugh. “Oh, and I killed your family!” Spike’s mouth exploded with a fiery inferno, the massive fireball hurling down towards Conquest. The demon alicorn managed to avoid it, jumping out of the way and towards Spike. “Oh, I remember how I made her suffer,” the mad pony laughed, as he blocked a strike from the enraged drake. “How I made her watch as I cracked open every single egg, all five of your siblings!” Spike let out another blood thirsty screech as he wrapped his arms around the alicorns shoulders and sunk his sharp teeth into the pony’s neck. “I’ll make you suffer!” he grunted through the flesh. “Mmm, hurts so good,” sighed Conquest, “but in the end futile.” He grinned as he broke free from the dragon’s grasp. He reared back and socked Spike right in the gut, the blow hitting with the force of a runaway train. The dragon was sent flying to the opposite wall, the stone bricks cracking on impact. “Oooooo…” groaned Spike as his body flopped to the ground. Had it not been for the thick plate of star metal and his own natural dragon scales, that blow would have been the end of him, and even then there was a giant hoof size dent in the abdomen of his armour. “Aww, what’s the matter, Spiky wiky?” chuckled Conquest, dusting off the tip of his hoof as he stared smugly at the wounded dragon. “I thought this was going to be a long, drawn out battle where it would SEEM that I was winning, but then at the last minute I get defeated and you save Equestria and its all fluffy and happy and gay,” he stuck his tongue out. “Pity, ‘cause I was looking forward for a fight.” “T-then…” coughed Spike as he started to pull himself up, staggering a bit as he did so, “then shut up and fight me…you pansy.” “Still able to stand? I’m impressed Spike, and that’s not easy to do,” said the alicorn. “But do you really want to die so bad?” “Are you kidding?” smirked the dragon, raising his claws up. “I was just getting warmed up. I haven’t even begun to start kicking your ass this side of Canterlot.” “Oh, I’m shivering,” Conquest said sarcastically. “But you have guts, so tell you what,” he got up on his hind legs, cracking his neck a little. “Let’s have ourselves a good old fashion rumble. No magic, no insanely powerful super strength. Just you, me, and a fight to your death.” “Fine by me,” smirked the dragon. “It’ll be great to finally wipe that smug smile off your face.” “Trust me,” smiled the alicorn, “it’s when I stop smiling that you when should get worried.” The two slowly advanced each other, striding in circles as one sized up the other. The dragon was stern, his steps precise and his guard up, still and strong. His gaze never broke from the monster that he faced. The alicorn swayed as he walked, his front hooves swinging casually as he stared at his opponent. “It’s only fair to warn you, Spike, that I’m a highly trained fighter, a master of over a thousand different hoof-to-hoof fighting styles.” “Does one of them involve never shutting up?” “Yes.” “Figures,” mumbled Spike. The two kept circling each other, neither one willing to throw the first blow. The tension could be cut with a knife. Finally, they charged each other. With a screaming sprint, the two combatants attempted to strike each other. The dragon got the first blow; his reach was greater than the alicorn’s and was able to land a right hook to the temple. Conquest went spinning to the side in a snickering fit. Spike attempted to attack again, opening his wings and clothes, lining the dark alicorn. The pony fell to the ground as the drake stomped his foot down on his neck, feeling the windpipe break and pop under its force. “Angry, are we?” gagged the down pony. “That’s wonderful! Let it consume you…just like I did with Rarity!” Spike drove his opposite knee into the alicorns trachea, keeping him pinned down. He grabbed his grey mane and pulled him up, the dragon’s knee cutting off Conquest’s oxygen as he listened to the alicorn suffocate. “I told you I would kill you,” snarled Spike. “Making me angry was a big bucking mistake.” “Anger?” croaked Conquest, his smile still unchanging. “You think that anger makes you strong?” He placed his hooves on the dragon’s wrists. “Please, you merely adopted it, Spike. I was born in it, manifested by it, molded by it.” The alicorn started to squeeze down on Spike. “You merely adopted it Spike…your anger betrays you!” Spike was launched off of Conquest, skyrocketing to the ceiling. He hit the roof and bounced back down where the alicorn was waiting for him. Conquest smashed the dragon with a powerful blow just as Spike was about to hit the floor, sending him hurtling through a pillar. The large white column crumbled down on him, leaving him buried in the stony concrete. “Are you all right, dragon?” laughed Conquest, walking towards the pile of rubble. “I didn’t kill you, did I?” The pile of rocks started to shake, and a large chunk of column went flying towards Conquest, breaking on the tip of the alicorn’s horn. The pony seemed unfazed, but the dragon came roaring out from the rubble, tackling the dark alicorn down to the ground. Spike went crazy on Conquest’s face, clawing, hitting, gouging, whatever he could do to try and wipe that stupid smile off his face. But the dark pony never stopped smiling. The dragon dug his claws into the alicorn’s neck. He saw the black sludge that was his blood started to leak out between his fingers. Conquest just kept laughing. “Why. Won’t. You. Stop. Laughing!” screamed Spike, each word he spoke was punctuated by a punch to the alicorn’s face. “It’s just so funny!” cackled Conquest. “It’s funny because everything you’ve done to me has been completely pointless! I’m not just a sack of meat you can beat and bruise until I croak!” “Makes me feel better,” sneered Spike. “And maybe I can wipe that stupid smile of your face!” “Silly dragon,” laughed the alicorn. “Do you really want to see me angry?” “Be a nice change in scenery.” “Oh, honey…” giggled Conquest, “you don’t know the half of it.” Conquest spat out a ball of black slime, smothering Spike’s face. The dragon cringed at the foul liquid as the alicorn bucked the dragon off of him. With the dragon incapacitated, Conquest spun around, kicking Spike with a roundhouse to the jaw. The drake was knocked to the floor as he wiped the slime off his face, but he felt something solid in the goop. Something solid. “Did I ever tell you about what I do to the children, Spike?” asked Conquest, black goo dripping from his mouth. Spike felt the twitching in his palm. He looked down and as the dark slime began to drip away, he saw the skeleton of a baby squirrel. The tiny bones made the slightest of jerks, and Spike quickly dropped the abomination. “What in the hell?” “Oh yes, dragon…” grinned the alicorn, “I have eaten plenty a squirrel back in the day. It has become somewhat of a hobby for me to hunt down, kill, eat, and resurrect every squirrel that I find.” “That’s sick!” said Spike, gritting his teeth. “What else is new?” laughed Conquest. “Now, let’s get them all out here!” The dark pony started to gag, more black sludge pouring out of his mouth. Within the goop, Spike could make out small bones and skeletons. The alicorn’s skin started to open up, more of the possessed skeletons crawling out of the fresh cuts. Anywhere these creatures could crawl out of, they did. In a matter of moments, Conquest had managed to amass a small army of slimy, clattering, and terribly twisted zombie squirrels. “Don’t you love kids?” laughed the alicorn, wiping a tear away as his wounds started to stitch themselves up. “I do! Little bastards, I could just eat them up!” His squirrel armada slowly advanced towards the dragon, clicking, moaning, and screeching as they crawled, limped, and staggered towards him. The squirrels finally jumped onto Spike. He tried to swat them off, shattering a good chunk of them with his claws, but there was just too many of them. They latched on to the drake, hissing and scratching at his armour with their little bony hands. Some started to crawl into any chinks in the armour, picking at his scales, trying to eat him from the inside. Spike tore some off, but every time he would crush a few of the squirrel skeleton, more would just take their place. There seemed to be an infinite amount of the skeletal minions. How many of these vile creatures did Conquest eat? Eventually, he was overpowered; the sheer amount of squirrels was just too much the purple drake as he fell to his knees, the dreadful creatures crawling all over him. “They’re all so adorable,” sighed Conquest. “What’s the matter Spike? I would have thought you would get along better with children. Granted, they’re all evil dead minion spawned from the depths of my belly but still…” The dragon didn’t respond, he started to falter under the mass of rodents that he had succumbed to. Conquest couldn’t help but laugh. “Overpowered by such small, pitiful creatures, you may as well of been overwhelmed by ponies. Stupid little ponies. I mean, look at them!” He motioned towards the Spike’s friends and the princesses, who were still tied up and helpless. “They’re pathetic, the whole lot of them. How you can love such vermin is beyond my comprehension.” “They… are not…VERMIN!” bellowed the dragon, slashing the alicorn across the face. Spike expanded his wings and took to the air, the many skeletal rodents clinging on to him in dear life. He started to shake them off, rolling and clawing the little bastard off of him. Their bones rained down as Spike crushed the final squirrel in his hand. The tiny creatures squirmed around on the ground, festering together to rebuild their bodies. The dragon unleashed his jade fire down on the foul pests, incinerating them. In slight, smug shock, the alicorn was vulnerable. The dragon took advantage of this and dive bombed him, driving straight into Conquest, slamming him to the ground. “My precious squirrels,” deadpanned the dark pony, uncaring that his rodent battalion had been wiped out. “Where in Equestria will I find more of those? It’s not like they’re everywhere or anything.” “Your squirrels are the last thing you should be worrying about!” snarled Spike as he slashed Conquest across the face. “Never said I was worried!” laughed Conquest, getting struck by again by Spike. “In fact, I’m a little relieved. Now I get to eat more squirrels!” “You’re sick!” screamed Spike. “And you’re ugly!” grinned the alicorn, kicking the drake off of him and getting back on his hooves. “And just for that, you shall see my TRUE FORM!” Spike quickly scrambled back to his feet and got in his battle stance as the black alicorn started to glow a bright white. Conquest slowly started to lift off the ground as he started to grow, his limbs and heads all getting sucked into his body, becoming a large ball of white energy. With another blinding flash of light, the transformation was complete. Spike uncovered his eyes to see the terrible being Conquest had shifted to. “Now, dragon,” the transformed smiled, “face the wrath of…… BALLOON CONQUEST!” The insane pony had inflated his body to look like a balloon, his limbs and head stretched out thin to accommodate for his new form. The new Conquest was bouncing around in the air, laughing and cackling like the deranged stallion he was. “Do you not fear my ultimate form?” hollered the inflated pony. “You’re just being stupid now,” mumbled the dragon. “No, you!” “Shut up!” growled Spike, picking up a fallen piece of rubble and chucking it at him. Conquest easily rolled around it. “You are no match for Balloon Conquest!” he laughed. “My helium induced wrath will be the end of all the ponies!” “I’ve had enough of this!” yelled Spike, flexing his claws, soaring up to the alicorn. “I’m going to pop you, bubble boy!” “I’m a balloon!” giggled the round pony, floating away from the sharp claws of the dragon. “It’s a little sad how easy it is to anger you!” “Hold still, fatty!” snarled Spike, taking another swipe at Conquest, only to miss by mere inches. “How easy it is to toy with you, dragon!” smiled the alicorn. “To just lead you on, giving you the slightest bit of hope when in reality, I could just clap my hooves and the world would set on fire!” “I highly doubt that,” said the dragon, missing with another swing of his hand. “Like you’ve never exaggerated about something,” mused Conquest as he bounced into a corner. “I got you now!” roared Spike, taking a final jab at the dark alicorn. He could feel his nails breach the skin and— BOOOOOM!! The instant that Conquest had popped, he exploded like a bomb, the blast flinging the drake into the opposite wall, crashing into it and leaving a dragon size hole in it. Conquest had reformed to his normal form and was walking casually to towards the dragon. “Always end with a bang, eh Spike?” “This…this is far from over” grumbled Spike as he pulled himself from the wall. “Spike, it’s been over since I walked into this room. It’s been over since I escaped from that dark hellhole of a prison. It’s been over since all of this started!” he laughed. “Spike, it’s been over since I was born.” The dragon got back to his feet. “It ain’t over until I rip out your cold, beating heart and tear it up in front of you.” “Sorry muffin, but somepony already did that,” he sighed. “Sweet, Sweet Symphony… I still hear her screaming in my dreams. One of the few happy memories that I have left.” “Fine!” yelled Spike, charging at the alicorn. “Let’s make you scream!” He swung out at the pony, Conquest dodging easily. Spike went for a second strike, this time with his tail, but the alicorn was able to catch it, flipping the dragon. The insane pony reared up and stomped down with both hooves onto Spike’s chest, leaving more dents. He continued to stomp down on the helpless dragon, crushing more and more of the drake’s chest plate. Spike could feel his breastplate slowly turning into scrap metal, and his chest started to hurt. When Conquest was about to deliver the final stomp, the dragon grabbed him by the ankles, pulled him down, and delivered a double kick to his face. Conquest staggered slightly, enough so give Spike a bit of breathing room. With his chest plate now dented and useless, Spike tore it off, the heavily dented metal a makeshift club in his hands. He took a swing at the alicorn, smashing him in the face. He took another swing, smacking him in the jaw, teetering from the blow. Spike finally jumped in the air, planting the plate right into Conquest’s skull. The dragon was amazed at what he saw next. The great alicorn Conquest, insane, sadistic, warmongering sociopath of darkness, the bringer of death and pain to more ponies than could be counted, the one who had personally brought him to the gates of hell to die…. Had fallen to his knees. Spike wasted no time; he capitalized on this golden opportunity. He threw the piece of armour at the alicorn’s temple, striking dark blood as he went down. Spike jumped on the downed pony, he could see the fresh wounds on his face, the bruises and the gashes, and the best part was… They weren’t healing. Spike went to town on the Conquest’s face, a month of hatred to fuel his rage. “This one is for all the ponies you’ve hurt!” he cried, slashing his face. “This one is for betraying you sisters!” Another slash across the face. “This one is for hurting my friends!” He punched in his razor sharp teeth. “This one is for my family! And for my mother!” He jabbed his thumb into his glowing red eye. “And this….” He readied his claw, “Is for Rarity!” The drake jammed his claw down the insane pony’s throat. He listened to Conquest gag and squirm. He deserved this pain and much more, but it would do for now. He kept digging deeper and deeper, feeling around, searching for something until finally he felt it. He grabbed on tight and started to pull, it was in there deep but Spike was determined. He finally was able to get most of his arm out when he could see the slime drenched hoof. He pulled with both hands until Rarity was finally visible. The mare gasper for air as her head popped out of the mouth, her eyes stained, wet, and crying as she was slowly pulled out from the belly of the beast. She fell limp into Spike’s arms, wrapping her hooves around his shoulders as she wept. “Shh, shh, everything’s going to be all right,” said the dragon, speaking softly as his stroke her sticky mane. “Spike…I was so scared” she whimpered. “I thought he was going to kill you.” “He tried,” spoke the drake. “Heaven knows he tried.” “He…. He tried to make me turn on you….” the white mare wept. “He told me horrible things that you’ve done, how you never loved me, how you were just using me. I knew they were all lies. I know you would never hurt me.” “Never, not in a million lifetimes,” said Spike, hugging his mare tighter. “I love you, Rarity, and nothing is going to ever stop me from protecting you, or any of our friends.” “Oh no! Darling, what happened to the others? Are they all right?” “They’re fine,” the drake smiled reassuringly. “They’re all a little roughed up, but hopefully nothing time won’t heal.” “I hope you’re right,” she whispered. “I saw what he did. He said I deserved to watch since it was all my fault,” she cried. “We were all powerless against him, and I had to watch him torture them all! How he destroyed everything they held dear………he’s a monster.” “Unforgivable,” the dragon said quietly. “But it’s okay now. Everything is done. It’s all over now, he’s been defeated.” “You mean you…” Spike nodded his head. “I love you, Spike,” she said, turning her head as she kissed the side of his faceplate. “I love you too, Rarity.” “Well, isn’t that just a case of rotten peaches…” The dragon and the mare’s flesh grew cold as they turned to the source of the voice. Dark Conquest rolled over to his side, his face still disfigured from his recent beating. He was chuckling to himself as he stared at the couple. “You have become quite a nuisance, dragon,” the alicorn said. “All I wanted was to have a little fun before you all died. Just play a couple of games, a few jokes to lighten things up…” He got back onto his hooves, shaking a little. “But YOU have to be such a buzzkill!” he laughed again, but they seemed more heated, like they were being forced to hide back something else. “Do you want to know why I’m always smiling?” Spike turned to Rarity. “Get everyone else out of here now!” he ordered. “But what about you?” she asked. “I’ll be fine,” he said quickly, “now go!” The mare didn’t disobey; she quickly ran to the others and started to untie them. “Well, dragon?” asked Conquest. “Do you want to know why I’m always smiling?” “‘Cause you’re insane.” “Wrong,” said the dark alicorn. “It is because it gives me an excuse to do what I do Spike. Truth be told, I am not insane, not by a long shot. I do insane things, and I feel no remorse after I do them, but I am not crazy. No, I just use it as an excuse to kill rape and plunder the local villages and make inappropriate jokes about it. And you know what dragon? It worked! I can do whatever the hell I feel like doing and feel nothing about it. But don’t ever mistake that I am unaware of what I am doing. My mommy told me right from wrong, I just didn’t listen to her. It’s just so much more fun to do anything you want and have the power to get away with it!” “Then why do all of this?” “Isn’t it obvious?” smiled the pony. “It’s because I am one hundred percent, absolutely, positively, cynically, no doubt about it, for the lack of any other word: Insane.” “But you just said—“ “What a mad stallion would say? Yes, yes I did!” he laughed, this time much more natural. “Ah, it feels good to joke again! I love it when a plan falls together like this!” “What plan?” “Like I’d tell you,” giggled Conquest, his horn glowing red. “I must thank you for finally taking off that dreadful armour, it was really messing up my magic.” Spike became surrounded by the red aura, slowly lifting off the ground. He tried to struggle but it was no use, the magic was too strong. The dragon was being carried to the alicorn and he was helpless to do anything. “Remember when I said I was toying with you?” asked Conquest. “How I said I could end this with a clap of my hoof? Well, I wasn’t exaggerating too much. I just wanted to make you feel like you had a small glimmer of hope…” Spike was placed in the hooves of the alicorn, his body paralyzed. Conquest lifted him above his head, a firm grip on his feet with one hoof, and at the base of his neck in the other. “When in all reality Spike…” Snap! “You never had a chance.”